Fate of The Damned
by Mippoose
Summary: Twisted by hate, and the past before him, he struggles to find whatever it is that may take the pain away.
1. Prelude

Remembrance _0_

_** I**_ laid there for what seemed an eternity that day. A day long past… The cries of my friends, my family, the whole town seemed to crack and shatter before my very eyes, like a mirror broken by a childs cobblestone. Little did I know at the time that this was forever, not a dream. With the memories of the past in hand, the days seemed smaller, the years shorter… Still I lay there, motionless.

Yet I was not there for a year, but for a few hours. It seemed like a year. My mothers voice screaming, my sisters' crying, my fathers steel crashing with fate itself. The thoughts raced through my mind faster than the bolt of a crossbow. But, they created an even greater pain. A pain I would face for the rest of my life, a pain that would linger within my very soul, a pain that would strike down courage of a daemon itself. This pain… it would never…ever…go away…


	2. Chapter 1

The New World- Inner Luna **_1_**

**_"We_** do not serve your kind here, sir," Said the merchant as he stared uneasily at the Spell book still hanging from the strangers' book chain. The people standing around all stared at the rune inscribed leather armors that hung from the large stranger. This was a holy city, architecture crisp and golden, with arcs and columns wider than the greatest tree. They don't accept my kind, magery is forbidden to all but the guardians of Lord British. And by no circumstances can I let them learn of my main art of combat. He would surely be executed for "Demon Worshiping," although I worship no thing or God. Well not anymore at least.

The inner city of glorious Luna was laden with gold and silver, and merchants bustled about in their fashion. You can constantly hear chanting from upstairs; worship is all day in this holy city. I'm surprised the guard let me past with the spell book. And by no means did he expect his steed would be let in. "What a beautiful horse you have here, such a pure shade of black." The horse was no horse but a demon steed, one he met in a dire time. The horse had the fangs and magical powers strong enough to rival any or mainly overcome any human being. This horse feeds on flesh and flesh alone. Hopefully he will stay full until we leave.

"I am just asking for a bloody bolt of cloth, God damn it!" The outsider barked at the merchant.

"Leave you vile magician! I will not help the likes of you," said the tailor as he looked up and down the strangers' body with disgust.

"I will pay double the cost, I need to fill an order, please," The last word came out like a faux jewel.

"Guards! Guards!" the merchant yelled. The stranger turned and walked away casually but his dark clothing and runic armors didn't exactly melt into the heavily plated paladins. The burly, pale faced man was almost at the courtyard by the gates to outer Luna when…

A hand landed on my shoulder, "I have to ask you to leave, sir. And please take that beast with you," the guard said pointing to a pure black steed that was growling at a nearby mustang.

"If you insist," I said with a smirk along my face.

I walked passed the guard nonchalantly and in the blink of an eye swiped the pouch hanging from his side. Before I could land my next foot steel rang into the back of my head. "You bastard," I barked as I knelt on the ground trying to stop the blood caused by the brunt end of a halberd. The steed in the courtyard didn't take pleasure in this and let out a shrill howl and bared a row of fangs only demons possessed.

The guard slammed his foot into my back and pinned me to the floor as the commotion attracted paladins from the worship upstairs. I could not understand the muffled voices as the air I breathed seemed to burn my lungs, and the enormous pain pounded the back of my skull.

"Can you hear me thief," I finally heard the guard yell into my ear, the noise made me wince. "You are under arrest for stealing gold from an officer of Luna," The burly man said in a more assertive voice. A nearby guard grabbed my backpack and seemed not to breathe as he let a book fall from his hands onto the floor. The room was silent as every eye focused in on the bone weaved book lying on the floor. The sound may have echoed to Ishlenar. The skull protruding from the cover let out a screech as a paladin stepped toward the book. The room was dead silent.

"Devil!" a nearby paladin shouted, breaking the silence, as he brandished a gleaming sliver blade. The whole room seemed to follow suit and swords engraved with ankhs and cruciform's cut into the air. No one moved any closer, it seemed as though everyone stepped back away from the devilish tomb on the floor.

I saw my chance. "Ort Por Ylem," flowed from my mouth in expert tongue as the runes on my gloves flashed a brilliant red. The book on the floor flew right before my face and opened before my eyes with a hiss. With bewildered faces around me I ran my finger across the word, "Kal Vas An Flam!" As the runes glistened one more time a vortex of darkness whipped around me in a deadly howl, the energy flew abroad and every nearby patron hit the wall with a deafening thud. I quickly grabbed my backpack and ran toward the gates which now were being closed by four guards. My steed lunged aside me, and in perfect rhythm, I mounted him in a single swing. The guards seemed horrified as the beast I rode let out a shrill howl and stampeded towards them. I flung open the spell book, but before I could speak the mighty words the demon horse's eyes shined a dazzling red and a rain of fire melted the gates from its hinges and charbroiled two of the guards alive. I heard a scream of agony as the beast ripped the head off of the nearest guard and finished the job with a stomach churning crunch of bone and the following flow of brain from the mighty steeds' mandible. With a bone crushing kick the other guard lost his head and blood rained into the sky. With a snort of satisfaction the beast consumed a burnt guard in seconds and dashed out of the courtyard and into the streets of outer Luna, where law was that of local warlords.Still dazed from my partner's performance I could only see the blurs of those around us, as we traveled faster then any other in this realm could dream of.

With a filled pallet and newly charged vigor, the steed raced forward, towards home. This hell we called home… We headed back to Umbra, city of wretched bandits and vile outcasts… The only place I would not be persecuted. We would reach it by morning. I laid my head against the mane of my only friend and fell asleep, something I had not done for a very long time.

Mippoose


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter2- Dreams

**_"Brother, help!"_**

Orange flickered through the glass of my window, creating eerie shadows on the yew wood walls. I threw my sheets off and hastily pulled my short sword from the corner wall and flung the doors open. I could not find anyone, the house seemed empty if not for the horrid screams coming from outside. As I ran down the stairway I saw the strong ironwood door leading to the street was in splinters all over the ground, but I grew pale and paralyzed when I saw the scene just beyond the frame. I ran to help but looked into a mirror mother hung from the wall; in the tilted cracked glass I saw the reflection of a 12 year old boy. I noticed the sword grew heavy and I became overwhelmed with fear and doubt. Tears streamed from my eyes as I passed the threshold where the door once stood, I gripped my blade with my very soul.

I saw bandits, hordes of them, looting, plundering and burning every building on the road. Dark magicians threw fire from the tips of staffs and summoned mighty daemons from the pits of hell, while the screams and cries of women and children echoed from the surrounding buildings in homes on the outskirts of Britain. The once peaceful farming town became engulfed in fire and blood.

"Get back inside, now!" my father yelled with a voice of worry and panic as he parried a blow from a war hammer with his large wooden shield, the shield broke apart and he stumbled backwards. I saw only a silhouette against the roaring flames behind him. The man stood over six feet tall, bulging with the muscle of a mighty paladin, to see him afraid made any sense of security fail me. Adrenaline pumped into my veins, and ignited a fire in my soul that needed to help.

Out of nowhere my mother appeared, being dragged across scorched earth away from my father. My father let out a fierce battle cry and a holy aura flowed down his arms and made his blade glow brighter than the fires burned. With tears in his eyes he stampeded towards the bewildered bandits. With blows powered by his anger father tore through 5 bandits with the ease like of his shovel in new spring soil.

My father stood in anguish as a man, marked with the runes of a mage appeared from the flames, not alone, but with my sister held by her hair. She was beaten, bloody and her night dress torn. She was young, 9 years old, and this man held her as a shield. I could not stand this, mother was slipping away, my sister was in the clutch of death, my father fell to his knees and cried, grinding his teeth and squeezing the hilt of his sword with all his might.

He leaped from his feet and planted the blade into the magicians face in one swift stroke, my sister fell to the ground and I raced over and embraced her, crying like I never cried before. Father now dashed down the cobblestone streets towards mother, men from other families fell down into pools of blood left and right, and dad took 3 arrows but still pushed forward.

Then all hope died. An enormous red figure appeared from the fires and stood between father and mother. Legs bent inward, hooves to the ground the beast stood a story tall, it was that of tales and fables, a daemon stood between husband and wife. I screamed out for him but he stood firm, clenched his sword and muttered a prayer I was never taught. White light burst through the dark night sky and engulfed my fathers' entire body, he lunged towards the monster with a yell that shook the earth.

My father hit the ground with a dead thud. Blood pooled around his headless neck and I lost control. I threw my sister behind the wall of a fallen house and ran with my sword towards the beast. I yelled a prayer with all my breath and swung my sword at its turned back, nothing happened.

"Mother!" I cried with all my being and I toppled backwards over rubble in the road. I lifted my head to see a man grab my sister; he was marked with symbols of arcane, and wore the finest armor I've ever seen. I yelled for her but he dragged her into the darkness. I felt immediate pain as a talon was driven into my back; mother fought the bandits with her bare hands. The daemon vanished into a bright vortex of energy. My vision was becoming dim, the pain dwindled, but I saw with my final glimpse something I would never forget. My father dead and my mother raped beside his corpse. I heard screaming and crushing of bone as my eyes closed. I felt a body thrown atop of me, and a final embrace.

I awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the crackle of embers. The sun was bright and made me open my eyes. I stopped breathing as I saw my dead mother staring blankly into my eyes. Her arms were stretched around me, her mouth open in prayer. My wounds were healed, and I remembered the spell father told me about, _Dium Prostra_, a holy sacrifice, one life for another. She was naked, her ribs caved in, dry blood all over her figure. I crawled from beneath her corpse and stumbled away in disbelief, I spotted my fathers dead body and collapsed on the ground, I picked up his severed head and broke into a hysterical cry. I looked around for any sign of life, and found none. I searched for my sisters' body, and nothing. I had nothing left.

I wiped my tears and vowed to never look back; I pulled the cruciform from the chain on my neck and discarded it on my mother's body with hate. God had failed me, and I would never trust him again. I will find my sister; I will kill all of those who ruined my life, with vengeance and hate.

I buried my parents in the garden my mother grew her flowers in. I took any valuables I could find, dawned some ragged leather armor and heaved a wood shield. The rubble of the weapons shed was empty, so I grabbed mother's cleaver from the ashes of the stable. I walked into nothingness, ready to pave my road with the bones of all who stood in my way. The hate burned inside, anything that breathed would pay for my loss.

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I awoke to dark churning clouds above a cracked and scorched city, the green plains gave way to burnt dry earth, and lush trees turned to blackened twigs. I was home, I dismounted and patted my steed, I poured a potion down his back that he was too familiar with. He neighed at the cold concation and shrunk to the size of a figurine in seconds. He crawled up onto my arm and I opened the gates to my house. A stone tower… nestled between the line of light and dark. I had the dream again, I must be getting close. I'm going to finally end this.


End file.
